Whilst employed less frequently than the other types of small arms and light weapons covered in this series, grenade launchers and anti-armour weapons have still played a role in Iraqi Special Forces’ operations during the re-conquest of parts of Iraq from the Islamic State. Complementing other types of weapons used in the fighting, weapons firing high-explosive (HE) munitions were used sparingly due to the significant collateral damage they could inflict on the civilian population of Mosul, as well as the logistical burden of ammunition resupply from a limited Iraqi support infrastructure.

One of the key systems in service with ISOF is the 40x46SRmm M203 under-barrel grenade launcher (UBGL), typically coupled with an ISOF member’s M4 pattern self-loading rifle. The two primary variants in use are a 9-inch barrel version using an early type of short, ventilated, replacement handguard and the more modern and widely used 12-inch barrel M203 that is mounted underneath the barrel and Picatinny handguards of an M4 rifle. The 9-inch barrel version, in addition to its reduced length, has a distinctive shape. In the past, there have been at least five makers of this configuration: Colt, Lewis Machine & Tool (LMT), Knight’s Armament, AirTronic and RM Equipment. The examples in Iraq appear to be primarily sourced from surplus U.S. military stocks. Most of these are Colt manufactured. However, LMT examples have also been documented in use.

Of the M203 models in use, very few are mounted with the appropriate flip-up leaf sights that align with the M4 front sight post for aiming purposes. Instead, many of the ISOF grenadiers place AN/PEQ-2 aiming devices at the 12 o’clock position. This does not pose an issue when used with M203 models with 12-inch barrels but complicates mounting for the variants with 9-inch barrels that use the shorter handguards. To solve this predicament, some ISOF grenadiers have been using M16A2-type carry handle mounts which attach to the standard A2 carrying handle on an M4 pattern rifle and have a Picatinny rail extension that rests over the handguard of the rifle. This allows any Picatinny-mounted optic to be placed in a forward position.

Interestingly, images showing ISOF fighters with M203 pattern grenade launchers rarely show any spare cartridges among the soldiers’ gear. In fact, there is very little video or imagery showing ISOF members firing these weapons. Current and former members of ISOF revealed that supplies of 40x46SRmm cartridges are extremely low ISOF-wide. Grenadiers are carrying their M203 UBGLs and even have purpose-designed MOLLE pouches mounted on their plate carriers, but very few combatants have been issued more than one round. In some cases, no ammunition is carried. In order to deliver HE direct supporting fires on the battlefield, ISOF troops have instead turned to a variety of man-portable, anti-armour systems that can be hand-carried throughout the dense urban streets of Mosul. These range from 84mm AT4 recoilless weapons to the ubiquitous RPG-7.

ISOF employ both the U.S.-supplied Saab 84mm AT4 single-shot recoilless anti-armour weapon and the RPG-7 multipurpose recoilless weapon of Soviet origin. There has also been limited use of 66mm M72 LAW-type rocket launchers. Although the AT4 is single-use and somewhat bulky to carry on foot, the reliance on vehicles as a base of operations and for fire support means that ISOF teams are rarely far from a mobile firebase in combat. AT4 anti-armour weapons seem to be in good supply due to U.S. logistics support of its own forces.

Whilst the RPG-7 is generally less accurate than the AT4, it does allow a single ISOF team to sustain a reasonably high rate of fire whilst remaining foot-mobile. PG-7V and PG-7VL anti-tank projectiles are carried, as are limited numbers of OG-7V anti-personnel projectiles. Many of the projectiles appear to be of Bulgarian origin, but a wide range of manufacturers’ munitions are known to be circulating within Iraq, and ISOF are likely to have employed captured and recovered stockpiles. Either the operator or an assistant is often seen carrying purpose-designed backpack pouches for carrying spare rounds. RPG-7 pattern weapons from a variety of Eastern Bloc countries appear to be in use, and it appears that most originate from Iraqi Interior Ministry purchases, rather than supplies to ISOF via foreign military sales from the United States.

The Mk 19 AGL

In addition to man-portable systems, ISOF also make extensive use of the Mk 19 40x53SRmm automatic grenade launcher (AGL). Within the ISOF arsenal, the Mk 19 is almost entirely confined to a vehicle-mounted role, generally fitted to turrets with improvised armour mounted on M123 series HMWWVs. The majority of the HMWWVs in use carry M2-type heavy machine guns (HMGs) as a primary source of firepower. A small number are instead armed with Mk 19 AGLs, however. Unlike 40x46SRmm ammunition, 40x53SRmm cartridges for the Mk 19 appear to be readily available.

Although ISOF have this automatic HE fire support capability, it has been used relatively infrequently in recent operations due to the potential friendly-fire and collateral damage it can inflict in the confined spaces these engagements have been fought in. The Mk 19 is also considered by some ISOF members as less effective than the M2 HMG at stopping certain lightly armoured, relatively fast SVBIEDs used in ambushes in tight urban terrain. The Mk 19 AGLs in use with ISOF are largely U.S.-supplied versions made by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, but a small number are believed to Korean Daewoo K4 models.

40x53SRmm ammunition has also been modified for use in improvised air-delivered munitions, dropped on to battlefield targets by commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In the Iraq-Syria theatre, this concept was first employed by the Islamic State, but such munitions are now employed by Iraqi security forces, including ISOF. Iraqi government forces often make use of commercially available shuttlecocks to provide some aerodynamic stabilization.

This article is reproduced courtesy of Armament Research Services (ARES). See armamentresearch.com for further original content.

According to previous video issued by Iran’s state broadcasting company (IRIB), Tehran has a top-attack version of its Toophan (“typhoon”) anti-tank guided missile. The Toophan series are derived from the U.S. BGM-71 TOW series of anti-tank guided weapons (ATGW). This marks Iran’s return to the licit arms market, while also belying the previous illicit transfers of similar missiles to Iraq and elsewhere in the region. It has been previously reported that Toophan systems were intercepted en route to the Gulf of Aden in 2015. Toophan missiles have also been documented as being in service with pro-government, predominantly Shi’a militias in both Syria and Iraq.

The Toophan-3 (T3) is a recent addition to the family of anti-tank missiles that grew out of licensed TOW production in the 1970s. The family includes the Toophan-1 (a licensed copy of the BGM-71A), Toophan-2 (a BGM-71C derivative) and at least two other variants designated the Toophan-5 and Qaem (developed from the Toophan missile), which have no direct TOW counterparts.

The T3 closely resembles the BGM-71F (TOW-2B). Both operate by using magnetic and laser sensors whilst passing over the target, causing the munition to function a downward-facing explosively formed penetrator (EFP) against the relatively thin top armour of most armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs). Unlike the TOW-2B, the T3 employs only a single EFP. In addition, the T3’s EFP is narrower, which is likely to lower its effectiveness even further. However, the claimed penetration (>80 mm RHAe)—consistent with common rule-of-thumb estimates relating penetration to warhead diameter—is still enough to successfully neutralise most modern AFVs.

Large interest in the emergence of the T3 at a March 2016 Defense, Security & Aviation Fair underscored the importance Tehran placed on re-entering the global arms market. In 2006, the United Nations Security Council banned Iran’s export of arms in a resolution linked to the nuclear dispute. The JCPOA, signed July 2015 to resolve this issue, promised to remove these restrictions. Although, in theory, Tehran remains bound by these resolutions until certain provisions are implemented and verified, in practice these details have been brushed aside by Tehran in its hurry to win over new and old customers alike. This is especially true when the customers, like Iraq, are potential geostrategic allies.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS*

Length: 1.16m

Weight: 19.1kg

Diameter: 150mm

Range (Day): 3,500m

Range (Night): 2,500m

Average Velocity: 240 m/s

Warhead Diameter: 128mm

Warhead Weight: 1.7kg

Penetration: 80mm RHAe

* Claimed specifications as per Ministry of Defense’s export webpage.

This article is reproduced courtesy of Armament Research Services (ARES). See armamentresearch.com for further original content.

 Now, with apologies for some of these rough-looking images—presented as they were found—let’s look at some very unusual weaponry from the early 1960’s and America’s gradual but quickly growing involvement in South Vietnam’s fight against Communist guerrillas, backed by North Vietnam and China.

First, here are some weapons used by the VC (Viet Cong) and NVA (North Vietnamese Army).

CREDIT: DOUGLAS PIKE PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION, THE VIETNAM ARCHIVE, TEXAS TECH

Homemade Recoilless Gun. A “VC HOMEMADE BOMB LAUNCHER 66mm TYPE SSA CAPTURED AT NAM CAN ON FEB. 5, 1963.” This was during the early days of the “America adviser” period before large numbers of conventional troops were committed. According to the 1964 edition of FSTC 381-5012 Typical Foreign Unconventional Weapons, “The Model S.S.A. Recoilless gun was made either in North Vietnam or in a Viet Cong safe area because its manufacture requires fairly extensive machine shop capabilities. The tube is a 60mm smooth bore made of a piece of pipe approximately 4½ feet long. The weapon traverses freely, but elevation is accomplished by means of a threaded shaft extending from a clamp around the rear of the tube to an arm attached to the mounting clamp. The total weight is approximately 72 pounds. The test history of this weapon is not known. The weapon is presumed to be effective.” No word on the finned rocket, but it had to have operated on the recoilless principle, delivering its explosive warhead at some undetermined range and with some degree of effectiveness.

Why Vietnam?

American military involvement in French Indochina dated back to WWII when the OSS (Office of Strategic Services—forerunners of the CIA] assisted Ho Chi Minh in his guerrilla war against Imperial Japanese occupiers. It continued in the early 1950s with advisers and massive shipments of war materiel to the French who were trying to keep Ho and his Viet Minh insurgents from kicking them out of their reclaimed colony. The French lost, and Vietnam was divided into a Communist north and a republic in the south. Fearful of South Vietnam falling like a “domino” into the rapidly growing Communist bloc, American aid and advisers began pouring in again. But the nature of counter-guerrilla warfare was quite different from what characterized massive conventional battle in WWII and the Korean Conflict. Once again, the U.S. Army, as an institution, and its essential Ordnance Corps were inadequately prepared, even against a poorly equipped but highly determined foe.

CREDIT: DOUGLAS PIKE PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION, THE VIETNAM ARCHIVE, TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

Medieval Crossbow in Modern Warfare? This undated Communist propaganda photo is intended to show the courage and determination of these teenage “liberators” despite the terrible handicap of primitive weapons. Its official caption says, “Militia of the Khua minority people … have efficiently helped the border guards defend the security of the DRVN (North Vietnam) frontier … They have detected and captured many spy-commando groups smuggled by the U.S. imperialists and their henchmen.” We note that the string on the young man’s crossbow is being held rearward by his thumb because the triggering stud is apparently a bit too short. His female battle buddy is much more effectively armed with what looks to be a U.S. .30 cal. M1903A3 bolt-action rifle, presumably captured from their South Vietnamese Army enemies.

CREDIT: U.S. ARMY MILITARY HISTORY INSTITUTE

Vintage Submachine Guns. This trio of subguns, captured from VC combatants, represents some typical subguns supplied by the insurgent movement’s Communist benefactors. From top to bottom: the Soviet PPS-43 or Chicom Type 54, a WWII German MP40 and an NVA K-50M, modified from the Red Army’s iconic PPSh 41. Judging from its descriptive card, the German “burp gun” has probably the most interesting origin, “GERMAN 9MM SCHMEISSER SMG 1941 ASSEMBLED FROM THE COMPONENTS OF SEVERAL SCHMEISSER WEAPONS PURCHASED IN EUROPE BY COMMUNIST AGENTS … .” Aside from perpetuating the long-common mistake of erroneously identifying Heinrich Vollmer’s MP38 and 40, there must have been some evidence of its origins from among millions of surplus German weapons in Europe after the War.

CREDIT: U.S. ARMY/NATIONAL ARCHIVES

VC “Zip Gun.” July 6, 1965, Fort Hood, Texas. SFC Wes Willoughby, curator of the 1^st Infantry Div. Museum, shows a VC-made 9mm pistol. While pretty conventional and surprisingly sophisticated in its grip, receiver and barrel, it feeds from a highly unusual 3-round sliding chamber. No word on how this was moved up or down to index each round for firing. The rifles in the display case behind him appear to be typical types from the Soviets, Red Chinese and various European countries.

Ingenious GIs

When his life is on the line and the weapons he’s given don’t measure up, the American GI takes action. Either on his own or with some help from higher ups. Here are some developments that validate once again the old expression, “necessity is the mother of invention.”

CREDIT: U.S. ARMY/NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Improvised Door Gun. In Vietnam in 1963, PFC Dave Foch, 57^th Light Helicopter Transportation Company, shows his “John Wayne Sling,” with on-board ammo can and chute-fed .30 cal. Browning M37 machine gun. According to Wikipedia, “The shooting down of a CH-21 Shawnee near the Laotian-Vietnamese border with the death of four aviators in July 1962 were some of the U.S. Army’s earliest Vietnam casualties.” So, since this H-21C Shawnee “Flying Banana” doesn’t appear to have a suitable mount for the gun in its door, Foch’s clever rig is likely intended to provide suppressive fire when in flight and on landing zones, as well as a formidable, portable weapon in case his helo is forced down like the one some months before when the whole crew was killed by guerrillas.

CREDIT: U.S. ARMY/MILITARY HISTORY INSTITUTE

Browning Hits the Skids. In the undated, but probably around 1959 photo, the XM-1 Armament System is seen on the left side skid of a little Hiller OH-23D Raven observation helicopter. A common complaint from pilots of these nimble but unarmed little scout choppers from service dating back to the Korean War was the inability to take out targets of opportunity or to immediately retaliate against hostile ground fire. That’s a solenoid fired, .30 caliber Browning M37 machine gun, fed by disintegrating steel-linked belts pulled up from an under-mounted magazine. Because the feed side of the M37 could be easily switched, another set was mounted on the right skid for balance, backup and double the firepower when needed.

CREDIT: U.S. ARMY/NATIONAL ARCHIVES

“Custom” Pistol? In 1963 at Ton Son Nuht, Vietnam, Staff Sergeant Robert Blerk, Chief Machine Gunner with the Army’s 57^th Light Helicopter Transportation Company, shows off “Long Tom,” a customized .22 auto that’s obviously set up to take a muzzle-coupled suppressor along with a high-mounted rear sight to clear the can. With no more info on the photo print we found, we’ll speculate that the pistol (possibly built on a High Standard Target model) was acquired in friendly association from flying around some of America’s clandestine operators of the CIA, spookily assessing strength and capabilities of insurgent forces. That’s an H-21C Shawnee in the background.

CREDIT: USAF/NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Dragon Feeding Time. We’ve got a “two-fer” here in this May 1966 photo from the Vietnam War with cowboy-rig revolvers and Gatling guns. From left to right are Staff Sergeant John Boineau, Staff Sergeant Carl Starwalt and Master Sergeant Norris Johnson, USAF airmen loading steel-linked 7.62mm ammunition for Miniguns on an AC-47. Plenty was needed because each of the three M134 Miniguns could rip out up to 100 rounds per second at top speed, and with every fifth round a red tracer, its nighttime signature, looked like undulating streams of dragon fire. Whole books have—rightly so—been written about Dr. Gatling’s hand-cranked cartridge spitter in America’s War of Northern Aggression and its evolution into various motor-driven super machine guns, as well as other books detailing the saga of stalwart Captain Ron Terry fighting the arrogant Air Force brass to fly close support missions in his FC/AC-47 modified WWII cargo planes. These quickly became known fondly as both “Spooky” and “Puff the Magic Dragon.”

A New Rifle for a New Type of War

At the time, soldiers and militiamen of South Vietnam were armed with the usual array of America’s leftover infantry weapons from WWII. Since most of these men were considerably smaller than their GI counterparts, big Garands, Brownings and Thompsons weren’t a good fit. M1 and M2 carbines were more favorable, but range and stopping power were lacking. American soldiers and Marines had heavy M14 rifles firing hard-hitting 7.62mm (.30 caliber) rounds; excellent for warfare in the open spaces of Europe but not so much for tropical Vietnam. What followed is a tale of optimism and woe, perhaps best detailed in R. Blake Stevens’ and Edward C. Ezell’s The Black Rifle: M16 Retrospective.

CREDIT: U.S. ARMY/NATIONAL ARCHIVES

ARVN Armalite. In June 1962, ARVN (Army of Republic of Vietnam) infantrymen were armed with early-production 5.56mm AR-15 rifles during a field operation; these small-stature soldiers no doubt were glad to be rid of the heavy, hard-kicking M1 Garand rifles previously issued. Sharp-eyed readers will note the prong-style flash suppressor and slab-sided lower receiver with unshielded mag release and no forward assist mechanism. Also, on the soldier’s pistol belt is the little rifle’s bayonet and carrying case with “clothespin” bipod. Early field performance reports were sometimes exaggerated, hastening replacement of the 7.62mm M14 with the M16 in U.S. military service. A fateful decision …

CREDIT: USMC/NATIONAL ARCHIVES

AR Optic Experiments. While today’s American military riflemen take for granted the combat effectiveness of electro-optical sights now standard on their M16 series rifles and M4 carbines, this was a long time coming. As early as 1961, with the USAF’s initial evaluation of Eugene Stoner’s Armalite/Colt AR-15, some low powered scopes were handily mounted without any modification into their preordained space on the carrying handle. But for various reasons this essential enhancement didn’t become standard for decades despite the Son Tay Raiders in 1970 having early Aimpoint red dots on their XM177E carbines. However, some optically scoped “Sixteens” did find use in ‘Nam as seen in this photo of a 2^nd Bn 2^nd ROK (Republic of Korea) Marine sniper’s M16A1 during Operation Dragon Fire, south of Chu Lai.

 “Brown Water Navy” 

The U.S. Navy has its own Ordnance establishment that’s turned out some interesting weaponry over time. Relevant to this installment is the immediate adaption of the WWII PT (Patrol Torpedo) boat’s swiveling gun tub with twin .50 M2 machine guns to the similarly fast and light PBR (Patrol Boat River) of Vietnam. Transitioning from open-ocean “blue water” to muddy rivers of the Mekong Delta, supporting riverine operations required some real institutional and engineering expertise. Fortunately for sailors, SEALs and Marines, the work started early and paid off quickly.

CREDIT: “ORDNANCE FOR SMALL BOAT NAVY” U.S. NAVY/NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER

Piggyback Pounder. An early 1960’s joint development by weapons wizards at Naval Weapons Station, Crane, Indiana and their Coast Guard comrades at Curtis Bay, Maryland, the Mk 2 Mod 0 and Mod 1 81mm mortar with piggyback .50 cal. machine gun was a murderous combination on patrol craft in Vietnam. The mortar tube could be elevated for conventional drop fire at long range or levered down for direct fire with a trigger mechanism. And with all that steel in the gun and its massive mount, bolting a Browning M2 on top was a piece of cake. The mortar fired all the conventional M43 series ammo and the wickedly awesome M120 APERS packed with 1,200 steel needle flechettes.

CREDIT: U.S. NAVY/NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Crank ’em out! April 1969, Cà Mau Peninsula, RVN. A U.S. Navy PCF (Patrol Craft Fast) “Swift Boat” crewman readies an Mk 18 grenade launcher. No word if this was the one that John Kerry claimed to have been cranking when he was “wounded in combat action.” Responding to an urgent request from the Navy in the early 1960s, Honeywell Corp. developed a novel hand-cranked weapon firing standard, low-velocity 40mm ammo for the M79, held securely in Mylar/Dacron tape belts. What became known as the Mk 18 Mod 0 Grenade Launcher utilized a clever “clam shell” split breech of two star wheels that clamped around each cartridge from opposite sides as it was ratcheted up into firing position. For simplicity, the rounds were not extracted from the belt for firing, and the empties were simply cranked out the other side.

CREDIT: “ORDNANCE FOR SMALL BOAT NAVY” U.S. NAVY/NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER

40mm Forerunner to the Mk 19. While not strictly an early Vietnam War weapon, the Mk 20 is included here as an example of rapid development in response to combat urgencies. Although it’s hard to understand how the ultra-simple and somewhat reliable Mk 18 was falling short, the archaic hand crank was dispensed with in the automatic firing Mk 20. Fielded by the Naval Ordnance Station, Louisville, Kentucky, in a crash program after just 6 months’ work, it fired the same belts of the low-velocity 40mm M79 ammo but in a radical blow-forward mechanism. Only a very few of these oddities were made, and the much more effective Mk 19, firing high-velocity, longer range 40mm ammo in full-auto, quickly gained acceptance, continuing to this very day.

CREDIT: U.S. NAVY/NATIONAL ARCHIVES

An A 40 and A 50 for the Fight. April 1969, My Tho, RVN. Gunners Mate 3 Thomas Bruemer USN PBR on river patrol. In a piggyback rig that’s handy in most any engagement, the 40mm Mk18 on top is used to crank out M79-type grenades for suppressive fire in close-combat action, while the much more formidable M2 .50 cal. could punch hard and fast at near and very far range. It is worthy to note that around this time there was experimentation with Duplex and Triplex (two and three projectiles) in each cartridge case for the M2.

What’s Ahead

In the next installment of Ordnance Oddities, we’ll take a look at some interesting developments that the massive might of the combined U.S. Armed Forces was brought to bear in Southeast Asia; not only against elusive Viet Cong guerrillas but increasingly in pitched battles against well-trained and -equipped regulars of the North Vietnamese Army.

LARGEST LANDPOWER EXPO AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FORUM SHOWCASES NEW TECHNOLOGY

There is no better place to see today’s defense technology on display than at the AUSA 2019 Expo, held October 4-6 in the Washington, D.C.-based Walter E. Washington Convention Center. This article provides a categorical sampling of some new noteworthy technologies.

Ammunition and Weapons

Textron, in partnership with Heckler and Koch and Winchester, has developed the next generation of cased-telescoped ammunition (with a focus on the 6.8mm projectile) and the special weapons suite necessary to fire it.

What exactly is cased-telescoped ammunition? Imagine a small semi-transparent polymer tube about 1 1/2 inches in length with a diameter of about 1/2 inch. On the closed bottom end, it has a conventional primer just like metallic-cased ammunition. On the muzzle end it has what looks like a second smaller tube inserted inside the larger outer tube. The smaller tube carries a 6.8mm bullet inside. It’s a very curious-looking ammunition design that doesn’t track with any conventional ammunition shape.

So how does it work? When the gun’s firing pin strikes the primer and ignites it, the cartridge’s powder charge is subsequently ignited, just like a conventional metallic cartridge. As the burning propellant’s gas pressure increases, the inside tube holding the conventional 6.8mm round extends forward, telescoping into the gun’s chamber, in turn, establishing the necessary gas check between the cartridge and firing chamber. As combustion pressure maximizes inside the cartridge case, the round (bullet) releases from its telescoped tube and begins its transit down the gun’s bore just like a conventional bullet.

About now you’re scratching your head thinking this ammunition seems complicated, maybe even fragile when compared to conventional metallic-cased ammunition. Plus, it requires a specially designed gun to fire it—what’s the advantage in that? And how about heat management? Conventional metallic ammunition extracts about 60% of the combustion-generated heat with each spent cartridge. The remaining 40% sinks into the gun barrel and receiver, and that’s why guns get hot when they’re fired rapidly. Polymer ammunition doesn’t carry (sink) heat, so how is the heat from propellant combustion managed and dissipated from the gun, especially the machine gun variant? Hmmm?

There are some advantages to cased-telescoped ammunition. Round for round, it’s about 40% lighter than metallic cased ammunition. It is approximately two thirds the length of comparative caliber metallic-cased ammunition with a slightly larger diameter—so it’s lighter and takes less overall space. Its ballistics is comparable to conventional ammunition of the same caliber, but its accuracy is touted to be vastly improved, especially at extreme range. However, accuracy is the sum total of several variables like the gun’s barrel quality, twist, caliber, bullet weight and aerodynamic form, sights, terrain, environmental conditions and, perhaps most important, the shooter’s ability. Accuracy, therefore, is not the product of ammunition or firearm alone.

There are some clear disadvantages to cased-telescoped ammunition as well. Cased-telescoped ammunition requires a special family of cased-telescoped weapons to fire it. Conventional weapons cannot be converted to fire cased-telescoped ammunition and vice versa. That means neither the ammunition nor the weapons are NATO interoperable and as such, fall outside the NATO Treaty requiring ammunition interoperability. Further, U.S. law dictates U.S. forces interoperability with our NATO allies. This leaves cased-telescoped weapons and ammunition in the “special use” category, and that in itself is a legal showstopper for its replacement as the DoD main battle rifle and NATO interoperable ammunition.

These concerns need to be addressed, but it appears that Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier is currently in denial. Nonetheless, even though we’re still firing a ballistic projectile downrange like we’ve been doing for centuries (except now it’s 6.8mm), cased-telescoped ammunition and the special weapons that fire it are a step forward in the world of firearms technology, and Textron is leading that charge. For more information see textronsystems.com.

Next Generation Squad Weapons 

On September 3, 2019, SIG SAUER, Inc., Newington, NH, announced the official award of a U.S. Army contract for the Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW). The primary objectives set forth by the U.S. Army for the NGSW-AR was a weapon with the firepower and range of a machine gun, coupled with the precision and ergonomics of a rifle. The award encompassed the complete SIG SAUER system consisting of SIG’s unique 6.8mm hybrid ammunition, a lightweight machine gun and rifle (both include suppressors).

Of greatest interest, is SIG’s newly developed, high-pressure, 6.8mm hybrid ammunition that is designed for increased penetration at greater range. SIG’s hybrid ammunition also achieves an important 20% reduction in cartridge weight by bonding a brass cartridge case to a metal base. Yes–a bi-metal cartridge case using dissimilar metals (that otherwise looks like any other off-the-shelf metallic cartridge). In order to prevent metal seam separation resulting from dissimilar metal expansion coefficients when heated and stretched by firing stresses, a lock washer (of sorts) between the two metals prevents case and base separation. The method SIG SAUER is using to manufacture its hybrid ammunition is proprietary, and its guru who knows is not taking calls.

As outlined in the recent award issued by the U.S. Army, SIG SAUER will deliver a complete SIG SAUER system inclusive of the SIG SAUER 6.8mm hybrid ammunition, lightweight machine gun, rifle and suppressors. SIG has historically manufactured quality firearms, and we have no doubt in its ability to continue its stellar track record. See sigsauer.com.

Tactical Rifles 

Otis Defense acquired DRD Tactical on October 1, 2019, and has now become a firearms manufacturer in addition to offering its premier weapons cleaning product line.

DRD Tactical is a market leader in the design and manufacture of innovative modular tactical rifles (takedown guns). Each rifle is designed around three key characteristics: discretion, reliability and precision. They specialize in a patented Quick Takedown rifle that ensures the utmost concealment discretion when operators are traveling on covert missions. These rifles are designed specifically for the military’s SOF and law enforcement elite with a need for discreet carry. DRD will continue design and manufacturing of all its firearms in its Georgia facility while sales, marketing and administrative support will be run out of Otis headquarters in Lyons Falls, NY. Congratulations to Otis and DRD for a great union. We anxiously await your future offerings. See otisdefense.com.

Smart Targets

One of the more interesting technologies showcased at AUSA was Marathon Targets’ T50 autonomous robotic target for outdoor use and the T10 for indoor use. These man-sized robot target platforms are programmed to act with tactical behaviors as they move autonomously about the practice range. The battery-powered wheeled platforms carry a life-size, human-looking mannequin that reacts to being shot, using live fire or sim-ammunition from any direction. When shot, the platform instantly stops and drops the mannequin to a full-flat position. Other platforms involved in the drill will either continue an assault toward the shooter(s) or turn and run for cover, realistically simulating combatant behavior in a firefight. Better yet, should the shot at the mannequin hit the platform control box below the mannequin, the box containing the motor, batteries and computer is armored to survive anything up to and including a .338 hit without penetration.

To add training realism, any number of autonomous units can be employed in any scenario desired, from a few adversaries to a platoon-sized force consisting of dozens. Since they autonomously communicate amongst one another to fill gaps resulting from those shot (killed), or to run for cover when shot at, imagination is the only limit on live-fire training scenarios using these targets. Interestingly, Marathon’s business model is built around renting these targets to the users, both short-term and long-term, rather than selling them. Consequently, you only rent them for the period you need them, and Marathon otherwise mechanically maintains them and keeps the software upgraded. See marathon-targets.com.

Optics and Power Management

Safran Optics 1 located in Bedford, NH, displayed its High Resolution Thermal Viewer (HRTV). The HRTV is the ultimate lightweight observation and targeting device that utilizes three channels: Cooled Thermal, Color Day and Low Light Level. This multiple role viewer additionally offers a 4k-color sensor and global leading laser rangefinder, making it perfect for sniper spotter use, advanced reconnaissance and target ID at greater ranges than previously achievable. This is made possible by its high performance thermal imager, extreme long-range optical observation with an optional lens extender, remote wireless observation, photo/video capture, fall-of-shot ballistic calculator and moving target speed indication. It additionally employs See-Spot Detection that allows the user to view laser designators from JTACs or other aircraft. It runs on CR-123s or the rechargeable Bentronics BT-70915 battery (37 mw) and weighs 4.4 pounds with battery. HRTV’s ruggedized case is both shock- and weather-resistant and designed to work reliably in the extremes of all warfare environments. The HRTV is worthy of close attention. See optics1.com.

Hailing from Newington, NH, Wilcox Industries Corporation showcased its Wilcox “Fusion System.” The Fusion System is a lightweight, integrated, modular power management system that is contained in the M16/M4 assault rifle’s forearm. Its purpose is to bring critical electro-optics and sensors together within a localized Bluetooth-enabled network. This unique system energizes a reflex sight, red visible laser, NIR laser and fixed NIR illuminator as well as a SureFire dual-spectrum head with white and NIR light. The Fusion System’s BlueforceTACTICAL (BTAC) module links into the BTAC mobile command center and provides, among other things, real-time location alignment, shot records and weapon health maintenance. It’s powered by a single CR-123 battery with a second battery chamber for backup. The entire system is designed with the weapon’s center of gravity in mind and so provides a “balanced feel” when aiming, shooting and carrying. See wilcoxind.com.

Aimpoint has created the new standard in pistol reflex sights. FNH was the first manufacturer to produce a pistol with the top of the slide already factory-milled and drilled to accept a top slide-mounted reflex sight. Since the FNP-45 debuted, a number of pistol manufacturers are now offering a factory-ready slide that readily accepts a top-mounted reflex sight. And that brings us to Aimpoint’s ACRO P-1. The ACRO P-1 is a ruggedly built, NVG-compatible, ultra-clear 3.5 MOA red dot sight. It’s submersible (Navy SEALs listen up) to a depth of 82 feet and is shock-tested to survive the recoil stroke of over 20,000 rounds of .40 S&W pistol ammunition. It’s powered by a standard CR-123 3V Lithium battery and only weighs 2.1 ounces. It is the only fully enclosed system in its category and boasts a fully sealed optical channel. Changing the battery is an operator’s dream because it can be easily accomplished without having to remove the ACRO P-1 from the pistol. See aimpoint.com.

B.E. Meyers & Company, Inc., based in Redmond, WA, is known for the advanced photonic systems they develop and manufacture for the defense and aerospace industry. The company’s core competencies include laser solutions for aiming, illumination, targeting and less-than-lethal visual disruption. B.E. Meyers recently added the MAWL®-X1 to the company’s highly successful MAWL® (Modular Advanced Weapon Laser) line of high-powered aiming and illumination laser systems for individual and crew-served weapons. This DoD-specific variant sports a truly modular design comprised of three separate Head, Body and End-Cap components. This modular design allows it to be field maintainable and sustainable at a supply chain level.

The superior ergonomics designed into the MAWL®-X1 provides intuitive operation in the dark, under stress and with gloves on. As an ambidextrous system, it can easily be configured for either right- or left-handed shooters. It features a simple finger-operated switch mechanism with finely balanced power and divergence presets that allow for target transitions from close to long range in under a second. The MAWL®-X1 also features balanced and stacked beams to increase situational awareness and overcome photonic barriers created by external light sources. It additionally delivers unparalleled range and clarity through optimized VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser) technology that vastly increases performance, beam quality, beam clarity and operational efficiency. Even better—it’s made in America by Americans. See bemeyers.com.

Personal Protection

Team Wendy, of Cleveland, OH, is known for its lightweight ballistic helmets and face shield protection. Team Wendy showcased its EXFIL® Ballistic helmet consisting of high-grade components that include a level III-A ballistic shell, a foam impact liner with 16 individual comfort pads in two thicknesses and a boltless-design retaining system with cam-lock sliders for one-hand operation. As helmet systems go, the EXFIL Ballistic helmet provides unequalled protection, comfort and wear-resistance performance. Additionally available in its accessory offering is a fitted helmet cover that provides cable routing slots built into the cover’s loupe-portion. This simplistic solution serves to fully protect power and communications cables and completely eliminate cable snags. Team Wendy’s helmet design and material construction quality speaks for itself—try one, you’ll like it. See teamwendy.com.

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)

In the world of Class II and Class III UASs , Aeronautics Group based in Yavne, Israel, offers a variety of fixed wing drones with tailorable mission-specific payload capabilities. Of specific note is its Orbiter 4 Small Tactical UAS. With a wingspan of 5.4 meters, a speed of 70kts and a 24-hour endurance capability, this low silhouette, silent flight, non-corrosive composite construction UAS is made for coastal and maritime surveillance. It possesses six autonomous flight modes and autonomously navigates with, or without, GPS or datalink. It is propelled by a spark ignition, internal combustion, multi-fuel engine and is fully operable in harsh weather conditions below the cloud base. Compared to most of the large payload UASs in use today, the Orbiter 4 possesses most of the same surveillance capabilities but in a small, low logistical footprint. This translates to a runway-free tactical UAS that’s easily launched and recovered with a 15-minute turn around cycle. See aeronautics-sys.com.

AI-Controlled Fully Autonomous Robotics

There was an obvious gap in fully autonomous robotic systems on display, save the semi-autonomous (operator-driven) explosive ordnance disposal platforms. It is no secret that AI-controlled fully autonomous robotic land, air, sea surface and underwater platforms are under intense development by numerous international high technology corporations. The U.S. Navy recently let a contract for the purchase of both fully autonomous surface and underwater vessels, and there will be more as computing capabilities continue to advance in speed and other quantum capabilities.

This brings us to considering “Left of Conflict” concepts and future surrogate warfare between AI-controlled robot warriors where AI, and its application, may determine who wins and loses. Another facet of future AI warfare, and a most disturbing one, will be the day that a fully autonomous robot soldier intentionally takes human life. Make no mistake, this scenario is within our technological grasp today, and it will debut in battle at some point in the coming decade.

Currently, the greatest showstopper for fully autonomous robot soldiers is a portable power source with enough energy to sustain operations. Most all-humanoid robots run on rechargeable battery power. Many larger wheeled and tracked robots, including 4-legged robots (mules), carry power generators onboard. But even those are limited by the available fuel quantity carried for their generators.

Battery-powered robots require a recharging capability. A strategy being considered for humanoid solider robots is to intermingle specialized power recharging robots among the soldier robots. The analogy is akin to fighter jets being aerial refueled by specialized tanker aircraft, or the U.S. Navy’s underway replenishment of its warships at sea by resupply ships. Nonetheless, an adequate source for robot power sustainment remains a problem that still needs solving before soldier robots can carry the fight to the enemy and win.

It’s a Wrap

In closing, AUSA never disappoints; however, some years are better than others. “Better” is a relative term applied to a well-attended expo, and/or an expo that just seems to have more new technologies presented. AUSA 2019 was such a show—it was overall well-attended; the active duty military was well-represented; and the defense contractors, technology providers and manufacturers seemed to display more new products than in previous years. This could be a sign of the times and a result of rebuilding of our military, or it could simply be coincidence as the stars align. Either way, AUSA 2019 was a great show. AUSA 2020 is scheduled for October 12–14, 2020, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. See you there.

THE PORTUGUESE ARMY FINDS COMBAT COMFORT IN FN SCAR

The Portuguese Army, after decades of struggling to get a new service rifle to replace its old battle rifle—the FMP G3 (a license built in Portugal HK G3)—has completed the process of acquiring an assault rifle and is being re-equipped with the SCAR®-L, in 5.56x45mm, built by Fabrique Nationale (FN) Herstal in Belgium. The Army has also bought the FN SCAR®-H, a battle rifle in 7.62x51mm that will be used as the Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) at the squad level. To augment these rifles’ firepower, the Army purchased the FN40 Grenade Launcher (40x46mm); this can be attached to both rifles, SCAR-L and -H, or it can be used in the stand-alone configuration.

The FN SCAR is one of the best rifles of our times. With extensive use by the Belgian Armed Forces, U.S. Special Operations Command, French Special Forces, Slovenian and Lithuanian Army, as well as numerous other special police forces from other nations, this is an extremely modern weapon, with all that is required for high-intensity combat, and features reliability and ergonomics appropriate to the rigors of the battlefield. This is a tool that any well-equipped and prepared Armed Forces would wish to have in their inventories.

The Pursuit of All-Around Weaponry

The pursuit for the replacement of the G3 was made through NSPA (NATO Support and Procurement Agency), based in Luxembourg. It was a public tender with all the big weapons manufacturers trying to accomplish the requested specifications and capabilities. The Army based its requirements in tune with the ideas of NATO working groups for light weaponry and defining some main lines according to its missions and national defense strategy.

Weapons had to be reliable and accurate in any weather conditions and with the rigors of combat. They had to be maneuverable, ergonomic and compact enough for vehicle and helicopter operations and be easily deployed in parachute operations. They also had to be able to take the modern accessories used in combat, namely a silencer, sight, flashlight and laser designator. Both SCAR-L and -H fit all these requirements. FN has one of the highest reputations for its barrels’ quality, manufacturing and supplying many companies that manufacture AR-15s in the U.S. FN SCAR rifles are veterans in combat; they have been used extensively in Afghanistan with an excellent report. FN SCARs have a folding stock that is also adjustable in length; this makes these weapons extremely compact for storage or transportation. The top and low Picatinny rail allows for inclusion of any accessories needed—additional side rails can be added for other necessary items, making for full 360º coverage.

The assault rifle and designated marksman rifle had to have the most communality parts possible. This is important not only for the training of soldiers, where they can easily transition from one weapon to the other without any additional training, but for logistics who can maintain a reserve of parts that will work in both guns. The FN SCAR-L and the SCAR-H have many parts in common; the most obvious is the stock that can be changed directly from one to the other. These rifles are disassembled exactly the same way, and their controls are placed in the same places, allowing soldiers to maintain a muscle memory even in the most stressful situations of combat. The SCAR-H even has a caliber conversion kit that enables it to be converted to fire 5.56x45mm ammunition.

SCAR Sub-Compact

FN Herstal has a Sub-Compact (SC) version of the SCAR-L. These guns are almost fully interchangeable and based on the modulatory concept of the SCAR. There is also a conversion kit that transforms the SC into the .300BLK caliber by a simple change of the barrel. The SCAR Sub-Compact, even though it is not part of the Army contract, has already aroused the interest of the Portuguese Special Operations community; it is a perfect weapon to replace the old, outdated HK MP5 and Uzi submachine guns still in service. The Army is even considering using the .300BLK version because of its performance with subsonic ammo being able to silence any shots and being perfect to replace MP5SD versions, increasing in this way any SOF Task Unit Firepower.

New Materials

The Army requested that weapons should be in a color based on the Coyote/Flat Dark Earth pattern and be constructed in the lightest material possible. The SCAR (Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle) was from the beginning a design made to replace the M4, so in order to improve upon the M4 reliability but maintain a low-weight gun, new materials had to be incorporated. The SCAR uses aluminum and steel in crucial areas where metal is needed, but what makes it different than other contenders is the extensive use of Polymer. The Portuguese SCAR-L, with a 14.5-inch barrel, weighs only 3.5kg/7.71lb and the SCAR-H, with a 16-inch barrel, has an impressive weight of 3.9kg/8.59lb (without magazine), being much lighter that other competitors. The color Black has a terrible contrast against camouflaged uniforms. With the use of Polymer, FN had no difficulty in using an FDE color in its guns and achieved an excellent combination that presents a unique, beautiful weapon with excellent blend-in capacity.

Sights

The contract for the weapons will include a small batch of sights to start testing some concepts. The SCAR-L will come equipped with an Aimpoint CompM4, but the Army is already considering other dot sights like the Meprolight MEPRO M5 or the Trijicon MRO and even improving on this capability with the Elcan SpecterDR 1-4x, Elcan SpecterOS 4x or Trijicon ACOG 4×32. The SCAR-H had to be equipped with a sight that had a variable power and a Bullet Drop Compensator Reticle, so the winning choice was the Trijicon VCOG 1-6×24, but as with the assault rifles, these come in small numbers, and the Army is already thinking of improvements to the Designated Marksman capability with sights like the Nightforce ATACR 1-8×24 F1 and the Meprolight NYX thermal sights.

An Interesting Feature

One very interesting feature of this contract is the inclusion of a bayonet. And although the use of this weapon is debatable in modern combat, the use of a combat knife is not. Therefore the Portuguese Army made a very smart move—they managed to include the Extrema Ratio FULCRUM Bayonet; this way each soldier will have an excellent combat knife that doubles as bayonet.

Combat Performance

The Portuguese Army has made a very important step. The choice of the new assault rifle will positively influence its combat performance with hit probability increasing radically over the old G3 Battle Rifle. This is not only because the Army is re-equipping with a new caliber (5.56x45mm) but because it changes the firepower dynamics of the Army’s small units with the inclusion of an excellent DMR. Assaulters will have an assault rifle with nine magazines (270 rounds), with a weight of 5.1kg/11.24lb, including magazines, while the DMR, with the same nine magazines, will carry 180 rounds with 6.8kg/14.99lb. The 40mm grenade launcher also will bring improved capacity, as it is very light and easy to use.

From the author’s perspective of all the testing and training done with these weapons, the SCAR-L is a wonderful rifle to employ. Being used to working around AR-15 and Kalashnikov rifles, it is a perfect combination of both. The FN SCAR-L is an extremely reliable and accurate gun. It is light but very easy to control; in full-auto fire, its relatively low rate of fire makes it completely controllable, even in a full magazine dump. The SCAR-L takes STANAG magazines and can take every accessory available for Picatinny rails. The ambidextrous magazine release allows right- and left-handed soldiers to make easy changes. While some people complain that the slide lock should be in both sides, the author disagrees, as he has seen problems with those designs—too many buttons, KISS (Keep It Simple and Stupid). The reciprocating charging handle has been controversial since the beginning of the rifle’s production, so much so that FN now offers the gun with a non-reciprocating charging handle. The author, being used to working with Kalashnikov-style assault rifles, finds it very normal; so much that he, when using a SCAR, usually puts the charging handle in the right side of the gun and works it exactly like an AK. The fact that the charging handle is located at middle body makes it more ergonomic than an AR-15. The stock is modular and comfortable; it is easy to work around and has a nice cheek piece that helps with sight picture in some higher sights. The author also finds the weapon’s maintenance very simple and very straightforward to disassemble and assemble and then easy to clean or change any parts needed. The only drawback in this rifle is that with intense volume of fire, the handguard heats up really fast, and the use of gloves is a blessing. The SCAR-H is an impressive DMR and has, in the author´s opinion, no match currently. It is a reliable and accurate gun for its intended function, probably the lightest in the market. It has all the qualities of the -L version, except that it takes FN proprietary magazines and would be more interoperable if it took magazines compatible with AR-10/SR-25/M110 rifles, like the Magpul ones.

Final Thought

The Portuguese Army ended up with an excellent result for its tender. Replacement of the G3 Battle Rifle with the FN SCAR-L/-H will start within the Rapid Reaction Brigade. Special Operations Forces, commandos and paratroopers will be the first units to receive the SCAR rifles, so that they can deploy them to the operating theaters where they are engaged in the Middle East and Africa. The Army is now equipped by one of the world’s largest manufacturers of small arms and with one of the best assault rifles in service.

PROTECTOR Remote Weapon Station

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (KONGSBERG) has sold nearly 20,000 M153 PROTECTOR Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) units so far. The weapon is being used by more than 16 nations, including the U.S., Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and the UK. At time of this writing, the U.S. Army has three-quarters (15,000) of all PROTECTOR weapon stations. The PROTECTOR RWS is a mature and proven product based on millions of hours of operational experience in combat zones combined with a close cooperation with defense forces worldwide.

The PROTECTOR RWS family is constantly enhanced with new product variants to meet customer-specific requirements. M153 CROWS is manufactured by KONGSBERG in Johnstown, east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The CROWS has an unprecedented Operational Readiness Rate of 99%. The technology behind it is a four-axis servo system, where the weapon’s center line and sight line move independently of each other (detached line of sight). The operator controls the RWS with a joystick and aims at the target at any time while the weapon’s center line is automatically adjusted depending on the weapon type, ammunition, distance to the target and inclination of the vehicle. The weapon station has a flexible architecture regarding sensor integration. A variety of sensors are integrated today, such as a fully stabilized system with thermal night cameras, laser rangefinders and color day cameras that contribute to target observation and advanced ballistics and image processing. Sensors like the thermal camera and the 30x zoom day camera make it easier to detect movement around the vehicle and to distinguish friend from enemy.

According to KONGSBERG, user experiences show several benefits. A protected gunner has more time to make well-considered and good decisions. Fewer rounds are needed to be fired, and the rounds that are fired hit where they are aimed at. The flexibility on both the sensor and the weapon side has contributed to the development over the years to a whole family of PROTECTOR RWSs. For example, there is an RWS version on which a 30mm machine gun is the main weapon (LW30) which also can control the Javelin armor missile and future integration of the Stinger air defense missile; a low-profile version designed for the M1A2 Abrams tank; as well as lighter and more mobile versions (“small/super small”).

PROTECTOR RWS with Javelin JIK and .50 HMG

On May 21, 2019, Oshkosh Defense unveiled the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) with a Special Forces mission package. The vehicle was equipped with a PROTECTOR RWS with a Javelin Integration Kit (JIK) and a .50 caliber machine gun. The high firepower is complemented by an electronic architecture designed for integration into tactical networks. Despite the high weight of the weapons, the JLTV remains so mobile that it can be used in combat together with other combat vehicles. The combination of scalability and flexibility makes the JLTV suitable for the unpredictable and evolving mission requirements of Special Forces. “The JLTV is a disruptive force booster that enables operators to achieve escalating and de-escalating effects in military operations—from environmental and peace missions to dangerous enemy conditions,” said George Mansfield, Vice President and General Manager Joint Programs at Oshkosh Defense (Source: Oshkosh Defense).

Javelin Weapon System

Javelin is the world’s most versatile and lethal one-man-portable, anti-tank guided munition and surveillance weapon system. It is made by the Javelin Joint Venture, a partnership between Raytheon Company and Lockheed Martin. A premier light infantry surveillance and anti-armor weapon system, Javelin provides the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and numerous international customers a fire-and-forget, medium-range missile. It’s easy to use and offers enhanced situational awareness and demonstrated lethality against a wide array of targets, such as armored vehicles, bunkers and caves. Javelin is combat-proven and has a greater than 94% reliability rate. It can be deployed from multiple platforms and used in all weather and in day or night operations. The program has also developed and demonstrated remote launchers for ground vehicles. The Javelin system is scheduled to be in inventory until 2050 (Source: Raytheon Company).

Available Alternatives for the JLTV

As an alternative, a multitude of RWS configurations including cannons, missiles and advanced non-kinetic weapon systems are available. Armed with its payload capacity and a system integration-minded design, the JLTV can support increased lethality and outperform adversaries with a multitude of remotely operated weapons for use against land and air threats. KONGSBERG has developed a PROTECTOR RWS LW30 with Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems’ (formerly Orbital ATK) M230LF 30mm Chain Gun, mounted on an Oshkosh JLTV, the four-door, general-purpose variant.

M230LF Chain Gun

The 30mm cannon has enhanced lethality capability over the .50 caliber HMG. The 30mm M230LF is a more capable version of the 30x113mm cannon featured on the Apache helicopter and is a member of the Chain Gun family of externally powered, combat-reliable conventional automatic weapons. The M230LF boasts a DC drive motor with a firing rate of 200 rounds per minute and has a reliability of 22,000 mean rounds between failures. It fires M789 HEDP, M788 TP and NATO standard 30mm ADEN/DEFA ammunition. Other features include electronic round counting capability, an extended-length barrel for enhanced muzzle velocity, a delinking feeder that allows the use of linked ammunition and an anti-hangfire system. A hangfire protection system for an externally powered gun includes a recoil sensing mechanism cooperating with a sear latching mechanism such that in the event of a hangfire, a sear engages a safety link on the chain drive assembly to keep the bolt locked. If the round fires, the gun function continues; if the round does not fire, there is a delay of a sufficient time to assure that the round is a dud, and it is ejected. The M230LF has air, ground or sea weapons platform applications.

That gives the cannon a multi-role, multi-target system capability.

PROTECTOR RWS LW30

The PROTECTOR RWS LW30     was for the first time presented at DSEI 2017 in London. The RWS LW30 is a further development of the existing PROTECTOR RWS family, providing enhanced operational capability by use of the M230LF 30mm cannon. The PROTECTOR RWS LW30 offers modularity for single-weapon, dual-weapon and even triple-weapon configurations; for example, where the M230LF main weapon, a 7.62mm coax weapon and a Javelin ATM can be installed simultaneously. This flexibility and modularity provides the capability for high power fire for many operational needs. Switching between the installed weapons is easily performed by the operator from the intuitive Human Machine Interface. The fully stabilized sensors match the extended range of the 30mm cannon and the long-range Javelin. The versatile system architecture enables support for future integrations such as Stinger missile or other effectors.

PROTECTOR RWS LOW PROFILE

A tank without a 360-degree close-combat armament capability against a sneaking infantry attack will be prey. The PROTECTOR RWS Low Profile (LP) is designed for small and medium caliber weapons as a “Turret on Turret” solution for the U.S. Army’s M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank, but it can be installed on any type of platform. According to KONGSBERG, the system has been through several tests, with excellent results. Like the other PROTECTOR RWS types, the LP CROWS is a fully stabilized system with a thermal imager that has a dual field of view, autofocus and e-zoom. The color daylight camera allows a wide field of view, up to 45 degrees while observing, and more than 30 times optical magnified close-up view of the target area when identifying and engaging a long-distance target. The eye-safe laser rangefinder provides extremely accurate range measurements, providing the PROTECTOR first-round, on-target capability. The weapon can, if necessary, be operated manually.

The PROTECTOR RWS Eliminated a Deadly Threat

A video on nrk.no on September 21, 2017, shows an operator who can see how the bullets from the RWS .50 caliber machine gun hammer into an IS suicide fighter’s car on the PROTECTOR RWS monitor inside the armored vehicle. The car is some distance away, but the car is speeding toward a unit of Iraqi soldiers close to the Norwegians. Near them is a parked tanker truck with fuel. The suicide fighter’s car filled with explosives blows up by the 12, 7mm hitting rounds. If the suicide fighter had managed to reach the unit, he would have been able to bring hundreds to death.

Variables, Tolerances and Economics

All too often, someone buys a firearm because someone else already has that precise make and model, and it shoots really, really well. How well? An article in a recent hunting magazine recounted how 20 years ago, a 1-inch group with a factory rifle and ammo at 100 yards were something to brag about. Today, a .5-inch group is expected. But why can two of us go to a gun shop, buy two identical guns with consecutive serial numbers, and yet “his” shoots better than “mine”—even when he shoots it? Welcome to the complex world of Variables, Tolerances, and Economics!

To simplify matters as much as possible, I will base this discussion on bolt-action rifles. The problem is compounded with semiautomatic firearms and goes up by orders of magnitude in the full-auto world. Along the way, we will ignore all the variables the shooter introduces—build, age, height, weight, musculature, vision, etc., etc.—otherwise this will become book length.

We will start with a modern designed, bolt-action rifle in the current popular round, 6.5 Creedmoor. You and I go to our local supplier and each buy a brand new rifle by a major maker—unfired and fresh in the boxes. We both buy the same rifle scopes and have the shop gunsmith mount them. Then we buy the same ammunition from a major maker, from the same lot. We both clean the bores and lube the bolts with the same products and head for the range.

Variables

Consider the variables just in the barrel of our two rifles. The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Makers Institute (SAAMI) have specifications for the maximum and minimum chamber size. Why? Because there are upper and lower tolerances for the size of factory ammunition, and every chamber has to accept every round. Even though our rifles have consecutive numbers, our chambers may differ. YOUR rifle was the last one made with a chambering reamer before it was replaced, so you have the smallest allowable chamber. MY rifle chamber was the first one made with the new reamer, thus it is of the largest allowable size—as the reamers wear, the chambers get smaller.

This variation is true for every possible element. Considering just our barrels, they can differ in the precise mixture of the steel; every portion of the heat treating; the actual diameter of the barrel blank; diameter of the hole for the rifling; depth of the grooves; radius of the muzzle crown; size of the chamber; length of the lead (the unrifled portion of the bore from the mouth of the chamber to the start of the rifling); the slope of the lead; the degree of the polishing of the interior and exterior; and more.

The widespread use of Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machines rather than manually operated lathes has closed up all of the tolerances, but there are still tolerances—there must be, as we shall explore.

Once the barrel is completed, it must be installed in the receiver. Various makers have different ways of making the installation, but there will still be some minute variations in the compression of the barrel to obtain the right fit. In other words, the machine (if a machine is used) with be set for “X” number of pounds of torque—plus or minus “Y”—the tolerance. In a worst-case situation, a friend bought an expensive rifle from a maker with a sterling reputation for quality. He happily received the rifle and proceeded to mount his chosen scope. Then he opened his safe to store it until the next morning, when he would try it out. When he picked it up by the barrel to put it in his safe, the barrel rotated freely in the receiver! He was NOT a happy camper, and it is likely some language not allowed in this magazine was used. He had to remove the scope and bases and ship the rifle back to the maker who made good on it. Obviously, sales of this maker’s guns in the local area dropped to zero—a matter we will touch on under Economics.

Consider our two rifles—yours the last assembled before lunch, mine just after. Tired from a bit of low blood sugar, the assembler uses the properly set torque wrench to tighten YOUR barrel, then breaks for lunch. Right after lunch, invigorated with a proper blood sugar level, he uses the same torque wrench and the same setting, but with a little extra vigor, to add the barrel to MY receiver. There is a tolerance level in torque wrenches as well, so MY barrel has a bit more tension applied than YOURS—both within tolerance but still different.

Consider all the variables possible in the manufacture of the receiver, bolt, each part of the trigger assembly and stock—even a polymer stock with aluminum bedding blocks! And all of this does not include those in the scope bases, rings and the scope itself! Every single part of every assembly has numerous variables, and they can stack up.

Tolerances and Tolerance Stack

As you see, YOUR rifle may be on the small end of every critical variable, while MY rifle has an unfortunate combination of very small or very large parts. Tolerance stack is the term used when you manufacture an item where, like MY rifle, every part is on one or the other extreme of the allowable tolerance, high or low. It is possible—rare, but possible—for every part in my trigger group to be on the small end of the tolerances. As a result, I pull the trigger and … nothing happens, not even a click. On the other extreme, I get every trigger part with the largest allowable size. I pull the trigger, and … nothing happens. The “tolerance stack” of all the small parts means that someplace, two parts that need to touch, don’t. With the biggest parts, there is “interference fit”—the parts are all so big that parts that should move, don’t.

Normally, the precision of those CNC machines keeps every part within tolerance. But if Karma chooses you or me, well, too bad, so sad. And with my luck, it would happen to me.

Tolerance is necessary—just imagine if you had a bolt in your rifle that measured precisely the same as the receiver. An invisible speck of dust or a minute bit of lube, and you can’t close the bolt! The U.S. military recognized this, as noted in Lt. Col. (USMC) Chinn’s The Machine Gun, Volume 1 (of 5), published in 1951. On page 589, quoting a letter from the Army Chief of Ordnance on 20mm gun development, item (e): “The accumulated tolerances in the manufacture of the weapon are too great to give uniformly efficient operation of these guns.”

Here, we may see the birth of “MIL-SPEC”—military specifications.

MIL-SPEC—the Best or the Base Line?

Today, we see all kinds of guns and gun parts touted as “MIL-SPEC” or made to military specifications. From the advertising, you would think these are the absolute best, made to the highest standards. Well, perhaps not. These specifications—tolerances, if you will—are for guns that will be used—and abused—in the harshest conditions. In the last decades, they have been in the extreme heat of Iraq in the summer and the extreme cold of the mountains of Afghanistan in winter. Just consider an M4 carried all day, in the sun, on a 120-degree day in blowing dust. Now, the next gun (by serial number) is subject to days of sub-zero temps above 10,000 feet, covered in snow. Both are expected to perform as designed, when needed, by our troops. The troops clean both guns at every opportunity, but those opportunities may be few and far between. So, when the specifications are set, they are planned so both guns will work reliably and with reasonable accuracy. It is a tribute to those who write the MIL-SPECs that the guns, with exceptions, work so well under such varied conditions.

Can a manufacturer exceed the standards of MIL-SPEC? You bet! But those guns will not comply with the government contract standards. The company will not get any military contracts, because their guns are “too good.” The author’s guns, in contrast to those issued to our troops, are “babied” in comparison. After they are cleaned, they get locked in the safe. If going to the range, they get a patch down the barrel, checked for proper lube and put into a gun case. After a gentle ride in the vehicle, they get uncased on the shooting bench and are fired. Then back in the case, back in the truck, for cleaning and storage. No dust, no mud, no grit/sand/snow/ice on them! So we can buy guns that exceed MIL-SPEC and use them with confidence.

Economics

There is one other part of MIL-SPEC to consider—cost. Having worked for the government for almost 3 decades, the author understands that while “government money” comes from the taxpayers, it is still not like spending my money! Now, the author worked for an agency that made money for the government, but still, spending government money was “different” than writing a personal check.

A friend was involved in writing a MIL-SPEC for a tank cannon. He said that close tolerances on variables cost money—the closer the tolerance, the more it cost. Yes, they could write a specification with the tightest tolerances money could buy, but that would limit how many guns (cannons, in this case) the Army could buy. Even government money has its limits—they may be high limits, but they are there.

Commercially, the concern is quality control and its effect on sales. My friend with the loose barrel told all of his friends about it—two of whom were all set to buy guns from this same maker. Then they attended matches out of state, where I am sure they told others. Social scientists have worked out this effect and can predict how many people will know of this in 30, 60 and 90 days. I anticipate this maker lost thousands of dollars in sales, all because of a single incident.

Worse, this gent had spent a lot more money due to the reputation of the maker, expecting much closer tolerances. Obviously, his faith that more money equaled a “better” rifle was destroyed.

Other Influences

We have mentioned the two extreme weather variables, heat and cold. There is also the heat generated by firing each round. There is a complex formula for computing this, but it roughly approximates 25% of the heat generated by the combustion of the propellant and the friction of the bullet traveling through the barrel. In our example of a bolt-action rifle, rapid firing of five rounds can warm the barrel and receiver. More rounds = more heat, until we reach the very high heat generated in fully automatic firearms. I am always amused by the scenes in action movies where the hero fires several magazines or a full belt through such a gun, and then grab it by the barrel. Ah, movies are magic! In the real world, the heat of a magazine dump in a full-auto can burn your hands if you touch the barrel. Heat also causes metals to expand—which requires different tolerances. Many a machine gun has “jammed” when the heat generated by lots of ammo causes this expansion to exceed the engineered tolerances.

Cold causes shrinkage, which in extreme conditions can also cause guns to jam. Minimum SPEC parts can get cold enough to shrink just enough so they no longer function. Metals also can become brittle, which can cause breakage of critical parts.

Lubrication

Guns, like cars, work better with some lubrication. But the wrong lube, or too much of it, can also affect operation. I have handled guns lubed with thick greases, which over time have hardened. Even in their semi-fluid state, they can fill those vital tolerances, causing failures to fire. Consider lube getting into your firing pin “tunnel,” slowing or stopping the movement of the pin. The author has experienced this with a modern striker-fired semiauto pistol. On this handgun, the firing pin tunnel must be kept dry, or the gun becomes an oddly shaped club!

He has also tried to fire a 1911 lubed with grease for high temperatures in the winter. It was good for a laugh, as you could see the slide slowly come to the rear and then crawl forward and almost chamber the next round. After a dozen or so rounds, the pistol heated up enough for the grease to fit in the tolerances, and the gun functioned normally. By the way, this was not in exceptional cold, but temps in the low 30’s.

Can a Gun Be Too Accurate?

Indeed, they can. John Browning’s original water-cooled M1917 machine gun was so closely fitted, with such minimal tolerances, that it did not spread the shots enough—it had too little dispersion! Machine guns are “area” rather than “point” weapons. The idea is to cover an area with rounds to deny its use to the enemy. Browning was required to loosen the tolerances, so at a distance the rounds were further apart.

Ultimately, the designers must take all of the above into account, so “my” rifle will be comparable in accuracy and function to “your” rifle. When they do, firearms become marvels of modern engineering. When they do not, they become “jam-o-matics!” We should marvel that the engineers get the variables so small and the tolerances so right, so much of the time!

When laser rangefinders (LRFs) first appeared on the civilian domestic market a decade or so ago, they were large and somewhat expensive. And they were fairly limited in their abilities, with units often having trouble ranging distances of even 400 yards or meters. Fast forward to now, and the performance is far greater, yet the prices are much less.

Now, the problem is finding a target far enough away to challenge some units. I found myself driving some distance to find an area without a lot of trees, close in, where I could really challenge the Nikon Black RangeX 4K.

The first thing one notices with the Nikon Black RangeX 4K is how small and light it is, considering its capabilities. As the name suggests, it is capable of ranging out to 4,000 yards (3,650 meters), under optimum conditions. (The phrase “optimum conditions” is worth noting. Every manufacturer tests its rangefinder under the best possible conditions. A good rule of thumb is to expect about half the rated distance.) During my limited testing, I got a reading of 2,523 meters (2,759 yards). Not 4K, but I did have some mid-day heat mirage and haze to deal with. I fully expect it to perform better when I can get out of town and range across a valley.

The 4K is waterproof and fogproof. The manual states it “will suffer no damage to the optical system nor observation if submerged or dropped in water to a maximum depth of 1m / 3.3ft. for up to 10 minutes.” However, it’s best not to tempt fate … Elsewhere, the manual does specifically warn against submerging it in running water. For use in rain, it should be fine. Again, the manual states: “Can be used in conditions of high humidity, dust and rain without risk of damage to internal functions.” As with rifle scopes, the 4K is purged of air and filled with nitrogen. The nitrogen-filled design makes it resistant to condensation and mold.

The unit has 6x magnification, and the optics have multicoated lenses, similar to riflescope and camera optical glass. It uses an invisible and eye-safe Class 1M laser, as is standard for LRFs.

By using the PWR and Mode buttons in unison, the user is able to scroll through the various settings, these being: Display brightness (Levels 1 to 5 and Auto), Distance display (either yards or meters), Horizontal Distance/Actual Distance mode (for shooting up or down steep inclines) and Target Priority modes for overlapping subjects. Target Priority switches between the First Target Priority and Distant Target Priority system. The factory default setting is Distant Target Priority mode, which is meant to disregard light branches, etc., in the foreground, and range on the more distant target.

The retail price for the Nikon Black RangeX 4K at time of writing is a very reasonable $449.

The collapse of the Soviet Union plunged the new Russian state into chaos, plagued by organized crime and terrorism. To face these challenges, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) of the young Russian Federation put out a search for a new pistol caliber submachine gun suitable for the new challenges of law enforcement. In 1993, the design group of the Izhevsk Machinebuilding  Plant sought to answer this need. They were led by a dream team of the sons of famous Mikhail Kalashnikov and Yevgeny Dragunov, the respective designers of the venerable AK and SVD. Victor Mikhailovich Kalashnikov and Alexei Yevgenievich Dragunov envisioned a uniquely compact submachine gun to address the MVD requirements, the PP-19 Bizon (Bison).

Elements of the design and construction history of the Bizon remain state secrets. However, it can be inferred that the Bizon may have been influenced from the U.S. Calico and its helical magazine system. Despite the bold design direction, the Bizon’s magazine was less refined, suffered from reliability issues and brought up an old problem with Russian and Soviet high-capacity magazines. Despite intending to be interchangeable between other Bizons, each magazine was most effective when matched to its parent gun for proper feeding. This was a common issue held by both the PPSh-41 and PPD submachine guns fielded in the Second World War. The helical magazines have two basic types: an early aluminum model and a later production polymer magazine. Both feature a different internal feeding mechanism. The 9×18 magazines hold 64 rounds, and the 9×19 version holds 54 rounds. There is a loading lock so while spinning the magazines’ timing while loading, the tension may be locked to somewhat ease loading. However, the loading process is subjectively awkward and time consuming. The magazines were inserted in a familiar rock-and-lock style of standard AK magazines. The helical magazine was bulky and required multiple design iterations before adoption. The extreme dimensions of the magazines also required specially made pouches that negatively affected the ergonomics of an operator’s kit, trading off magazine capacity for speed and ease of reloads. The Bizon, while in service, was said to have seen little use, losing out to more traditional and reliable submachine gun configurations, such as the widely available AKS-74U. The Bizon remained lighter, and when unloaded, and the low recoil for the 9mm Makarov cartridge produced a light recoil when compared to the Kalashnikov’s prior rifle caliber chambering. Designer Victor Kalashnikov admitted that they had dubbed the Bizon “the women’s gun” due in part to the weapon’s light weight and lack of recoil.

The Bizon achieved some weight savings with a newly designed proprietary receiver, partially relieved at the lower front end with altered and extended bolt guide rails to support the helical magazine and strengthen the front of the receiver. The shortened dimensions excised the standard side, folding locking mechanism seen on the AKS-74 and its derivatives. Instead, the lock had to be redesigned to allow the stock to affix to a cross-trunnion barrel pin when folded. The standard AK triangle side folding stock had a new securing plate riveted and spot welded to access the repositioned stock catch. A sheet metal cover was fitted above the magazine below the barrel, the magazine itself acting as the hand shield. A special trigger guard with flared guide wings was designed, as well as a new shortened side optics mount and a proprietary front trunnion and sight block. The flared magazine housing allowed for ease of magazine changes. The 8.9-inch, 9mm barrel is threaded to 14×1 left hand for a conical bird-cage-type flash hider. The rear sight leaf ranges from 50m to 100m in the 9x18mm Makarov. This design allowed for the near identical manual of arms with other Kalashnikov variants.

I took on the challenge of constructing “the women’s gun” in 9x18mm Makarov, as a builder at M-13 Industries in Las Vegas, Nevada. I originally intended to modify a standard AK receiver before I was contacted by Chitin Defense and ReCreator Blanks, who were working in collaboration to produce a Bizon-clone receiver. The design was copied off a destroyed receiver with incredibly high fidelity. The ReCreator Blanks receiver was an immaculate copy of the examples that I had seen in Russia. For the barrel, we used a Lothar Walther USA 9x18mm barrel blank and chambered and turned down the barrel to the proper diameter, length and threading. An original bolt, destroyed in the deactivation process, took the most time to reactivate. Russian engineers had cut off most of the face, the extractor and the firing pin. Special care was taken in every aspect of the build to ensure a true and, at the time, a one-of-a-kind build in the U.S.

On the Range

While on the range testing the M-13 Industries Bizon, I was amazed at how compact, balanced and well-grouped the weapon shot. The carbine is accurate and has enough rounds contained in its just-right capacity magazine. This built-in 9×18 magazine holds 64 rounds. Using the earlier model aluminum helical magazine, I tested various ammunition manufacturers, including Wolf, S&B and Fiocchi. Due to the drastic feed angle, hollow-point projectiles do not feed in the Bizon. Overall, I was amazed how well it functioned and felt while shooting the weapon.

Current Use

Despite falling out of favor to other conventional submachine guns, the Bizon is still retained in specialty armories in Russia, and they appear in modern photos of Russian Special Forces training from time to time. However, just as the PPSh-41 and its drum were supplanted by more reliable and faster reloading stick magazine designs, the Bizon has been widely replaced by the traditional layout of the PP-19-01 Vityaz. With a surge of popularity, introduction to the Russian civilian market and increased use by Russian security forces abroad, the Vityaz will likely carry on as Kalashnikov Concern’s submachine gun for years to come.

State-of-the-Art Weaponary

Machine guns today are generally defined as firearms that shoot automatically more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger.  This modern definition has come about due to the development of such a weapon as pioneered by Hiram Maxim and is subsequently used for all weapons that employ all mechanical means in firearms today.

Before Maxim invented the truly automatic system of feeding, loading, firing and ejecting continuously with just a single function of the trigger, “machine gun” was a term applied to a weapon that provided these functions albeit in a manual mode of operation.  In reality, the evolution of automatic weapons really began before the introduction of gun powder.  From earliest times, there has been a continual attempt to augment firepower by mechanical means.

These early machines included trebuchets, catapults, ballistas and siege engines.  These machines threw projectiles ranging from rocks and stones, dead animals and putrid corpses conveying pestilence, flaming projectiles, to a fusillade of javelins and arrows.

While these were large crew served weapons, there was mechanical development in the individual combatant’s weapons to increase firepower, range and lethality with the crossbow being a good example that evolved into a weapon firing a number of arrows.  One could say that a general definition of an automatic weapon in these early days would be a weapon capable of discharging a number of projectiles in a short space of time, either simultaneously or in rapid sequence.

While weapon development of volume of fire and sustaining fire of ancient weapons is a discussion in itself, we will begin our discussion here with the culmination of the state of the art manually operated rapid fire weapons that lead to the fully automatic weapon.

Reliable mechanical development was hindered until the advent of percussion caps in the early 1800s, and in the next 75 years following the percussion cap patent, more was accomplished in terms of design, development and performance of firearms in general than at any time in all of history.

During this period, there was an abundance of ideas of how to make a machine gun “work,” including the use of steam and gas.  Some did actually work but were too impractical and complicated.  But it was the continued work on ignition that dictated the mechanical future of automatic weapons, and it was the advent of incorporating the detonating cap as an integral part of the fixed cartridge in 1856, and the first true metallic cartridge with a center fire primer and an inside anvil invented by George W. Morse in 1858 that set the stage for machine gun development.

Concurrently within this time period, it was the gun makers who took the concept and perfected the use of machine tools, particularly in New England, to speed up and economize on weapon production.  This was a radical development that set in motion the Machine Age that led us to the Industrial Revolution that enabled the use of machine tools to produce advancements in light, power, heat, all modern transportation, electric communication, agricultural machinery, textiles, paper mills, printing, all the instruments used in every science, etc.: everything that ultimately affected everyone’s daily lives.  At each advancement of ignition, from percussion cap to paper cartridge to metallic cartridge, gun makers were in lockstep with new mechanical developments, designing machine tools to make their mechanical ideas a reality.

Gatling Revolving Machine Gun

Dr. Richard Jordan Gatling was born in Hertford County, North Carolina in 1818 and came from a family of inventors.  Though born in the South, he felt there were better opportunities in the North and he moved to a number of cities in Missouri, Ohio and Indiana.  In 1847-1848, he studied medicine at Laporte, Indiana and the following year he entered Ohio Medical College from which he received his degree.  However, there is no record of him actually practicing medicine.

Gatling conceived the idea of his gun and began work in 1861 with a prototype being made in late 1861.  The gun was demonstrated in early 1862 and a patent in that year was granted.  This gun was a crude predecessor of what was to become one of the most significant firing mechanisms of all ordnance history.

The 1862 Gatling gun was crank-operated with six revolving barrels around a central axis point that had a bolt for each barrel capable of not only volume of fire but sustained fire.

Nevertheless, the 1862 model had its shortcomings and Gatling continued to perfect his gun.  This led to the design of the Model 1865, the precursor of all later Gatling guns.  Gatling continued to refine the operation and mechanism of his gun.  As they got better and better with each successive model, the world took notice and the Gatling gun saw service in armies and navies around the world continuing into the twentieth century.  The Gatling gun was the beginning of the state-of-the-art manually operated guns that flourished until Hiram Maxim took the next step with fully automatic guns, but his operating principle lives on today in Vulcans and Miniguns.